In this technical field, schemes for current and future mobile communication systems have been being developed by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Particularly, the schemes include Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) as a successor of a Wideband Code Division Multiplexing Access (WCDMA) based UTRA or UTRAN system. The E-UTRA or E-UTRAN scheme may be also referred to as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) scheme.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary sequence in an E-UTRA based mobile communication system. At step S1, a RRC connection is configured between a mobile apparatus (UE) and a base station (eNB) (RRC connection setup). At step S2, the base station eNB (enhanced Node B) sends a switching station (Mobility Management Entity: MME) a signal referred to as “Initial UE Message”. This signal is sent due to initial access to the switching station MME by the mobile apparatus. Accordingly, the switching station MME has no capability information on the mobile apparatus UE at this timing. The capability information or mobile apparatus capability information includes category information of the mobile apparatus, information on bands available for the mobile apparatus in communication, security information and so on and is used for control in the base station eNB and the switching station MME. At step S3, the switching station MME sends the base station eNB a signal referred to as “Initial Context Setup Request”. When the base station eNB requests the mobile apparatus capability information from the mobile apparatus UE at step S4, the base station eNB receives the mobile apparatus capability information from the mobile apparatus UE and stores the received mobile apparatus capability information at step S5. At step S6, the switching station MME receives the mobile apparatus capability information (UE-EUTRA-Capability) from the base station eNB and stores the received mobile apparatus capability information. At step S7, ciphering and RRC connection reconfiguration are performed, and at step S8, the base station eNB sends the switching station MME a line setup completion signal referred to as “Initial Context Setup Response”.
FIG. 2 also illustrates an exemplary sequence in an E-UTRA based mobile communication system, although it illustrates subsequent accesses to the switching station MME. The base station eNB stores information regarding the mobile apparatus UE (for example, the above-stated mobile apparatus capability information) after the mobile apparatus UE starts a session and upon completion of the session, discards the information regarding the mobile apparatus UE. On the other hand, the switching station MME stores the information regarding the mobile apparatus UE even after completion of the session for the mobile apparatus UE. When a location registration area or a tracking area of the mobile apparatus UE changes, and accordingly the switching station MME for managing the mobile apparatus UE also changes, the switching station MME discards the information regarding the mobile apparatus UE. As a result, as long as the location registration area of the mobile apparatus UE does not change, the switching station MME possesses the information regarding the mobile apparatus UE (for example, mobile apparatus capability information) in subsequent accesses to the switching station MME. At step S11, the switching station MME can indicate the mobile apparatus capability information (UE-EUTRA-Capability) regarding the mobile apparatus UE to the base station eNB in transmissions of signals referred to as “Initial Context Setup Request”. In this case, the base station eNB does not have to request the mobile apparatus capability information regarding the mobile apparatus UE again.
3GPP TS36.331, Sec. 5.6.3 describes some sequences for the mobile apparatus capability information. 3GPP TS36.331, Sec. 6.3.6 describes contents of the mobile apparatus capability information.